1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in a distributed processing system having a plurality of processors, to a distributed processing system and method in which the constitution of application programs operating within the individual processors is automatically recognized at the change of the program constitution, or in which the relation among the programs is recognized.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore, in a distributed processing system having a plurality of processors connected to a common transmission line, a method by which programs for executing the series of processes respectively are distributively stored in the individual processors, and the program of each processor is started when data necessary for executing this program have been completely gathered from the transmission line into the own processor, has been disclosed in, for example, the official gazette of U.S. Pat. No. 4627055.
This method permits the respective processors to distributively execute the corresponding program without requiring a management processor for managing the whole system.
In addition, the inventors have proposed in Japanese Patent Application No. 129378/1985 a software developing method by which, in the distributed processing system stated above, one or more of the processors is/are used for developing a program, the program developed by the development processor is broadcast to the common transmission line, and any of the processors requiring the program gathers it from the common transmission line and stores it in the own processor on its own judgement.
Owing to the above method, it becomes possible that the series of processes be executed without the necessity of a master for controlling the whole system and that, also in the program development, the program be developed by each development processor and be loaded in the pertinent processor at any desired timing without knowing the program constitution of the whole system.
In the prior art, however, no means is comprised for grasping the programs which are stored in the individual processors and the states in which they are operating. This has sometimes posed a problem in the maintenance and operation of the system.